Interview: Poppy Dolan

I am so pleased to be kicking off the blog tour today with a warm welcome to Poppy Dolan on The Writing Greyhound! Poppy's here to chat about her life, her inspiration, and her novel The Woolly Hat Knitting Club.

After you've finished reading her exclusive author interview, don't forget to check out the other fantastic stops coming up soon on the blog tour!

Morning, Poppy! Could you start by telling me a little about yourself?

Hello! I’m Poppy, I’ve always been a big reader (even the illustrated children’s dictionary when I was a kid. Once a nerd, always a nerd). I’ve been writing on and off for about 10 years. 

How did you first become interested in writing? 

I suppose it’s natural that if there’s a skill you really love and admire in others, at some point you wonder if you could have a go. I was reading all these funny, surprising, romantic books and I decided to give it a try.

So what's The Woolly Hat Knitting Club all about?

It’s an uplifting, fun (I hope) story about finding real happiness, family loyalties and - you guessed it - knitting!

 What’s the best thing about writing fiction? 

Being able to escape to your dream world when you’re really at a cafe table covered in toast crumbs.

How do you get inspiration? 

Sometimes song lyrics, sometimes a dilemma in the real world around me or sometimes something very personal to me - There’s More to Life Than Cupcakes was definitely about a phase of my own life.

What’s the best thing that you’ve managed to knit? 

Not to toot my own horn but I’m a badass knitter. Probably one of my favourite things I’ve made is a woolly Christmas wreath! I would also like to add that later, I spray painted my coffee table. Nothing escapes my crafty habits!

Do you think that it’s important for a story to have a happy ending? 

To me as an individual, it’s pretty important but I think even a sad ending can have a way to uplift you if there’s a lesson to learn or the prospect of hope on the horizon. But I am a sucker for a happy ending when it comes to my characters.

What do you love most about writing? 

Being playful, and writing first-kiss moments.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? 

Don’t stop. Even if no-one is reading what you’re producing: if it matters to you, do it for you. I’m not saying you’ll end up selling a million (I definitely haven’t) but do it for the love and sometimes good things follow.

What are your other interests? 

Anything crafty, which is why this book was so much fun to write. And baking!

What are you reading at the moment? 

I just finished Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine, which I really loved.

The Woolly Hat Knitting Club is available to buy now. For more about Poppy, don't forget to follow her on Twitter!

Have you ever tried your hand at knitting? Share your story in the comments below!